Domestic incident leads to charges

Brett Rodriguez, 34, of 343 W. Kline Ave., Lansford, faces charges from an incident which took place on June 22 at that address. Rodriguez is charged with simple assault and harassment.

According to an affidavit of probable cause, here's what happened:

At about 12:50 p.m. Officer Jason Helmer was dispatched to the address on a report of a domestic disturbance. There he was met by the victim, Felicia Heffelfinger, who was visibly upset and whose face had redness and swelling behind her left ear.

She told Helmer that she had been assaulted by her boyfriend, Rodriguez, who lived with her at the address.

Rodriguez had left before Helmer arrived. Heffelfinger said the two had been camping earlier that day at Mauch Chunk Lake Park and had an argument and that Rodriguez had shoved her while they were in their tent.

When they got home, she said, she was holding her 7-month-old baby. Rodriguez was angry and grabbed the baby and put the baby in a crib. He then shoved her to the floor in the kitchen and began choking her.

She said she had trouble breathing while Rodriguez had his hand on the front of her throat. Heffelfinger said Rodriguez was pulling her hair and yelling, "I could really hurt you."

Before leaving the house Rodriguez told her she had better be gone by the time he got back.

Heffelfinger said it wasn't the first time Rodriguez had physically abused her and that he had done so several times in the past two years.

At 7:30 p.m. Rodriguez turned himself in at the police station. He waived his Miranda rights, and denied any physical contact with or threats to Heffelfinger. He described the altercation as a "heated argument."